A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object.
Knots have been used for different purposes over the years for such things as fastening and tying objects together and even for recording information. Different varieties of knots have been widely used since early cultures to form snares, nets and traps for capturing food. The construction of shelters and weapons, the making of clothing, the capability to move and pull heavy loads, all required the use of sturdy knots.
Historically, methods of tying certain knots are learned at a young age and passed down from generation to generation, for example learning to tie one's shoe laces, or form a knot in a neck tie. Knots were often called different names in different regions, and depending on how and what they were used for. There are thousands of types of knots that can be used for different purposes. Even in today's world of digital technology, knots remain indispensable. On the deck of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, cables are bundled and tied down with a variation on the reef knot, used by mariners thousands of years ago to trim their sails, and the clove hitch, a knot that entered the historical record in the first writings of the Greek physician Heraklas.
Knots weaken the rope in which they are made and the knotted rope can fail when it is strained to its breaking point, which is usually at the knot or close to it. While splicing ropes together can maintain nearly the full rope's strength, in most situations forming loops and bends with conventional knots is far more practical than using rope splices. Even if a knotted rope does not break under strain, a knot may still fail to hold due to slipping; capsizing; and sliding. Additionally, knots differ in the effort required to untie them.
People often have a difficult time tying one or more knots. Several devices have been developed to help connect ropes or cords without having to tie a knot.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,858 to Smith, Jr. discloses a knot tying tool which includes a first end for tying slipknots and incorporates a groove for holding a hook during the tying process and a groove through which the free end of the leader or the like may be fed to complete the knot and a second end including one or more portions having differing radii for tying fixed-loop or slip-type fastening elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,957 to Musto discloses a multi-part cylindrical element through which the leader is fed to assist in the tying of leaders and lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,021 to Benham discloses a two-part knot tying device wherein the first part is secured over the user's finger and the second part, which is a cylindrical split element, utilizes its forward end to secure the hook during the tying operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,555 to Newlin discloses a knot tying device having a relatively flat, thin element including a slot having a cutting edge for cutting the leader and a cylindrical portion having bores therethrough for assisting in the knot tying.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,651 to Shockley discloses a knot tying device including spring-loaded clamping means for securing a fish hook in place during the knot tying process, and further including a cylindrical tube and a telescopically received rod for pulling the free end of the line through the loops.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,140 to Bloch discloses a fish hook holder and knot tying device including means to pierce the end of the leader allowing a barbed eyelet to be inserted within the end and three adjacent tying fingers extending from one end of the knot tying device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,137 to Wardall discloses a device for facilitating knots in the shape of an elongated rectangle having a hole through one end portion and a forked portion at the opposite end, and including very specific dimensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,195 to Jochum discloses a knot tying tool for tying knots in cords or lines of material including those for attaching the line to an eyelet of an object. The knot tying tool includes a base member having first and second ends, a first post extending from the first end of the base member, a second post extending from the second end of the base member, a loop retainer operatively associated with the second post for retaining a portion of one loop of a line forming part of a knot being tied, wherein the line includes a working end and a standing end, a support member operatively associated with the first post, wherein the support member includes a catch positioned spaced apart from the loop retainer for holding a portion of the retained loop of the line, and a rotatably-actuated clamp assembly for receiving and releasably retaining the standing end of the line.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,997,629 to High discloses a knot tying apparatus for tying a pair of fishing lines to one another is provided. The apparatus includes a tubular body having a through passage extending between opposite first and second ends with a slot extending from the first end toward the second end. Further, the apparatus has an actuator coupled to the tubular body for sliding movement between the first and second ends. The actuator is moveable between the first and second ends via application of an external force to removed loops of the one of the lines from the tubular body onto the other of the lines.